Stimulus Proposal

Buried amongst the current Ohio stimulus funding requests is this $500,000 from Consider Biking/COBAC:

Traffic Demand Management via encouraging and supporting the mode shift from auto trips to bicycle trips. The program will encompass a mode‐shift program and a comprehensive bicycle parking / end‐of‐ride facility program.

The purpose of the Mode shift Program will be to organize, promote, and run ‐‐with numerous partners including the City of Columbus, Central Ohio Transit Authority, and Capital Crossroads an annual spring event to encourage everyone to get out of their cars and to make bicycling, walking, and busing a part of their everyday routines for getting to work, to school, to shopping, to restaurants, to entertainment, to sporting events, and everything else.

The effect of the annual spring event will be carried on throughout the year by means of a year around Commuter Challenge among institutions, businesses, as well as public and private organizations to encourage mode‐shift throughout the year. End of Ride Facilities program would entail consulting, and selling, businesses to develop and install appropriate bicycle parking and other facilities to overcome barriers to choosing bicycling as a primary form of transportation.

    Now I am all for spending money on bikes. This begs the question as to how we actually do it. As Mike Reed and others have pointed out, both on Columbus Underground and Yay Bikes!, much of what is proposed could actually be done through volunteer efforts. Further, there are issues in creating end of the road facilities for commuters when some would claim that our cycling facilities are still lacking.

    Looking through the Columbus Bikeways plan, there are a number of projects that could be funded all or in part by the 500,000 requested. In some cases 3-4 significant projects could be completed, connecting parts of Columbus that are either dangerous or psychological difficult to navigate. Infrastructure is probably the biggest key to getting people to consider cycling as a real alternative. Faced with a commute down 161 or Morse Road, it's easy to see why some shy away from cycling.

    Another issue, as one approaches the edges of the outerbelt, is the design of many newer suburbs and communities. With very few alternatives to main roadways (as exist in older sections of Columbus), many are left with little choice but a car-centric commute. I helped staff booths at several events with Consider Biking last year and never failed to hear a fair share of comments related to this difficult choice. In the face of economic issues and fluctuating gas prices (more a concern last summer), it's vital that a city like Columbus provide real, viable alternatives to commuters looking to trim the budget.

With that in mind, may I offer another solution?

    Roaring Fork Transportation Authority came up with a clever solution, detailed here, by stripping most of the seats out of an existing bus to provide space for 12 bikes inside and 4 on an outside rack. The bus runs a scheduled route, stopping at specific bike/bus stops. Fare on the route is regular fare + $2 a bike.

    I believe COTA could make good use of the available stimulus money to create a similar service here in Columbus. This would provide an alternative to commuters by bridging the gap from the suburbs into town. It would provide cyclists an easier connection to major job centers located along major roadways. It would also provide COTA a unique opportunity to experiment with 21st century transit innovations.

    I played with the concept on Google Maps and came up with two routes, very obvious in their choices. One follows Broad along the #10 route, with stops spaced approximately 1-1.5 miles apart. The N-S route follows High Street along the #2, with similarly spaced stops:

    Given the advantage of the bicycle in covering a larger amount of area, it is less important to provide multiple stops spaced close together. By distancing stops approximately 1-2 miles apart, the service should be reliable and efficient.

    The biggest question is how to run such a service? Do you treat it as an express bus and run at peak hours? For this I would suggest runs at 6-9AM, 12-2PM, and 4-7PM. Runs could also be added later in the evening, provided support was present. Say 10pm-1am? Another option is to simply run along the current #10 and #2 schedules. Though with the seats removed and specifically fitted for bikes, revenue in off peak times may be a loss. A third option is to run on a hybrid schedule. During most days, buses would run at the 3 (4) peak times. On days where severe weather is present, buses could either run on #2 and #10 schedule or could be run along the specific routes during peak times and act as sweeps (picking up cyclists) on other major routes during the off peak times.

    This can lead to COTA using these buses as a learning lab or sorts, to apply new technology to our transit system. Several transit agencies are experimenting with text based alerts for commuters. This is a technology COTA could offer to bike commuters, allowing them to know when buses will be running during inclement weather. Applications already exist for iPhones and other devices for other city transit systems for commuters to call up route times and other data. This would be another potential tool COTA could work with, first experimenting on the Bike Express and later adapting to other routes.

    Another "innovation" that could be used in the Bike Express are smart fare cards allowing commuters to charge their card as they see fit, rather than buy monthly passes or carry loose change. A perfect application for cyclists content to ride their whole route in all but the most serious weather.

    This would be a unique opportunity for Columbus to explore. It would provide a valuable multi-modal connection to commuters, help bring our bus service into the 21st century and would provide a sounding board for new ideas and innovations that could later be applied to our entire fleet.